Water Quality Legend

Current Status

Grey means water quality information for the beach is too old (more than 7 days old) to be considered current, or that info is unavailable, or unreliable.

Historical Status

When swimming season is over or when a beach's water quality data has not been updated frequently enough (weekly) it goes into historical status. This means that rather than displaying current data it displays the beach's average water quality for that year.

Green means the beach passed water quality tests 95% of the time or more.

Yellow means the beach passed water quality tests 60-95% of the time.

Red means the beach failed water quality tests 40% of the time or more.

Special Status

We may manually set the status for a specific beach if we have concerns about the sampling protocol, if there is an emergency, if monitoring practices don't exist or have recently changed, or other reasons that render this site "special."

Green means the beach has historically excellent or pristine water quality, but there is no current data.

Red means the water at the site has water quality issues or there is an emergency.

Grey means there is no current water quality information, the beach is under construction, there has been an event that has rendered water quality information unreliable or unavailable.

See the beach description for more information regarding their special status.

Lighthouse Beach

At Lighthouse Beach you will find a playground, picnic area with a pavilion, a grassy field, and a trail that winds past the lighthouse along which wildflowers grow. There is plenty of wildlife in this area, including rabbits, chipmunks, and birds.

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WATER QUALITY

Passed water quality tests at least 95% of the time

Historical Status

This status is based on the latest sample, taken on . Lake Ontario Waterkeeper updates the status of this beach as soon as test results become available. These results were posted to Swim Guide on at

City of Evanston Parks and Recreation Department updates the status of its beaches daily from Memorial Day to Labour Day. When water quality alerts are issued via email or Twitter, Lake Ontario Waterkeeper updates Swim Guide.

Recreational public beaches in Illinois are tested at least once every week, typically from May to September. In popular beach areas such as Chicago, beaches are tested five times per week or even daily. Illinois beaches are posted when a single sample exceeds 235 E. coli / 100 ml.

In the USA, the Environmental Protection Agency has two sets of recommendations for freshwater and marine beaches. A single sample at a freshwater beach should not exceed 235 E. coli / 100 ml of water. A single sample at a marine beach should not exceed 104 Enterococci / 100 ml of water. The geometric mean of 5 samples from a freshwater beach should not exceed 126 E. coli / 100 ml of water. The geometric mean of 5 samples from a marine beach should not exceed 35 Enterococci / 100 ml of water. States may choose to use this standard or they may substitute a standard that is "as protective as" the EPA's recommendation. The Beach Act is the nation's primary beach protection law.

Lighthouse Beach

This status is based on the latest sample, taken on . Lake Ontario Waterkeeper updates the status of this beach as soon as test results become available. These results were posted to Swim Guide on at

For water quality icon legend, click:

CURRENT WEATHER

2°C

Clear

At Lighthouse Beach you will find a playground, picnic area with a pavilion, a grassy field, and a trail that winds past the lighthouse along which wildflowers grow. There is plenty of wildlife in this area, including rabbits, chipmunks, and birds.

City of Evanston Parks and Recreation Department updates the status of its beaches daily from Memorial Day to Labour Day. When water quality alerts are issued via email or Twitter, Lake Ontario Waterkeeper updates Swim Guide.

Recreational public beaches in Illinois are tested at least once every week, typically from May to September. In popular beach areas such as Chicago, beaches are tested five times per week or even daily. Illinois beaches are posted when a single sample exceeds 235 E. coli / 100 ml.

In the USA, the Environmental Protection Agency has two sets of recommendations for freshwater and marine beaches. A single sample at a freshwater beach should not exceed 235 E. coli / 100 ml of water. A single sample at a marine beach should not exceed 104 Enterococci / 100 ml of water. The geometric mean of 5 samples from a freshwater beach should not exceed 126 E. coli / 100 ml of water. The geometric mean of 5 samples from a marine beach should not exceed 35 Enterococci / 100 ml of water. States may choose to use this standard or they may substitute a standard that is "as protective as" the EPA's recommendation. The Beach Act is the nation's primary beach protection law.